Vending machines and methods of dispensing product items from vending machines are well-known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,948,416 and 4,702,392 disclose vending machines, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,445,287 and 5,505,332 disclose methods of dispensing product items from vending machines.
Although the prior art discloses vending apparatus that is generally useful for their limited purpose, i.e., dispensing product items upon receipt of payment, the prior art does not disclose a vending apparatus which efficiently and effectively markets the product items which it offers for sale.
The use of promotional items has proliferated in today's increasingly competitive marketplace, where companies are constantly seeking more effective and cost efficient ways to market their products to consumers. Effective marketing is oftentimes the determinative factor between failure and success for a product. The advantage to be proffered by a vending apparatus dispensing both promotional and product items is the increased sales of the product item resulting from the increased exposure created by the promotional item.
As shown in FIGS. 1-5, the parent application of the present application, co-pending patent application Ser. No. 08/869,028 for a "Method and Apparatus for Dispensing Promotional and Product Items," discloses a promotional item that is substantially the same size and shape as the product item. The promotional item is a compressed fabric article, such as a T-shirt bearing a logo of the product, containing enough money so that an actual product item can be purchased from the vending machine after receipt of the promotional item. The promotional item is very suitable for, and easily dispensed from a vending machine dispensing product items having simple sizes and shapes, such as a cylindrical soda can or a box of laundry detergent for example.
Since fabric compression technology is generally limited to such simple sizes and shapes, however, the promotional item disclosed in the parent application may not be useable in a vending machine dispensing product items having more complex sizes and shapes, such as plastic soda bottles for example. Conventional vending machines typically have at least one storage compartment of a certain width and depth for holding a stack of product items. Since the items, whether promotional or product, are stacked in the vending machine, the items have to be at least strong enough to support the weight of a full stack. In addition, the machines may be sensitive to size variations in the items dispensed, such that the promotional item should also be the same size and shape of the product item even if the shape of the product item is relatively complex. Use of a promotional item that is not strong enough to support the weight of a stack in a vending machine, and that does not have the same size and shape as the product item could jam or otherwise disrupt operation of the vending machine.
What is still needed, therefore, is a promotional item that can be dispensed from a conventional vending machine dispensing product items having sizes and shapes that are relatively complex, without jamming or otherwise interrupting operation of the vending machine.